Monday, June 25, 2012

If you were unable to attend John Spencer's sessions at Center Grove's iPossibilities conference, you are in luck. All of the sessions have been archived and are available on the iPossibilities website. Also, Mr. Spencer made an appearance in our blog. Hopefully he will have time to join us again and will enjoy our conversation.

We talked last week about changes to the teaching and environment in this one-to-one pencil classroom. This week let's talk a bit about the students in a one-to-one classroom. Tom seems to have quite a bit of respect for his students and, in turn, it seems like his students are very resonsible in working with this new learning environment, too. How have you seen your students adapt to the addition of technology into your schools or classrooms, whether it's a one-to-one situation or just a few computer classroom or trips to the computer lab? Do you see your students taking reaponsibilty for their technology like the students do in chapter 5 (in respect to the plog) and chapter 2 (in respect to public and private property)?

Monday, June 18, 2012

Chapter 4 begins with Tom sitting in on a "behavior meeting." Apparently other teachers are having a problem with a student with whom Tom gets along well. In response to why this student is doing well in Tom's class, he says, "'I really think it's because he and I have found a way to get along.'" In addition he says "This child trusts me because I don't shame him.... I try not to waste his time with meaningless work and in return he doesn't waste my time with meaningless chatter.... None of that requires a pencil." How does technology impact learning? How does it change the teacher's role? The student's? Does technology increase student engagement? How do you think the use of technology changes the classroom or the teacher? What essential parts of traditional teaching and learning are key to student success outside of technology?

Monday, June 11, 2012

After reading the first chapter of the book, what do you think of John Spencer's pencil analogy? Do you think it is a fair comparison to the conversations that are being had about and opinions of 1:1 computing in schools? Share some of your initial thoughts on the book and this analogy.

I received this update from Julie Bohnenkamp, Technology Director at Center Grove Community School Corporation, regarding John Spencer's sessions at the iPossibilities iPad Conference today, Monday June 11, 2012.

We are extending our live offerings to all of John Spencer's sessions. They will also be archived.

The Four Stages of a Tech Journey uses the metaphor of an integration journey as a reflective framework for both teachers and technology coaches. Here we walk through story of the Tech Tourist, Tech Foreigner, Tech Immigrant and Critical Citizen as teachers grow professionally. The session includes interactive dialogue, practical resources and a philosophical framework for technology integration.

Pocket Change: Engaging Digital Citizens – 11:00-12:00 p.m.

This sessions deals with the issues of digital citizenship beyond simply the calls to play nice and don’t bully and into the notion of using mobile devices as critical thinking citizens. Participants will wrestle with how to embed digital identity, ethical use, intellectual property, online collaboration and social media advocacy through project-based learning.

Paperless Math – 12:45 – 1:45 p.m.

Currently, schools are shifting toward the conceptual, critical-thinking, process-oriented Common Core Standards. With the explosion of apps and web tools, students can leverage technology in a way that isn't possible in a traditional paper and pencil math class. This session provides ten examples of paperless math strategies that can be used in both the primary and secondary level.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

We hope you are getting excited about the beginning of the eLearning Summer Book Club. Have you started reading the book? Get your thoughts organized and be ready to start posting on Monday, June 11th. Don't forget to join the blog by clicking on "Join this Site" in the right hand column on this page. This will make it easier to stay connected with the blog and others reading the book. For those of you interested in hearing Mr. Spencer speak, you will have that opportunity the same day we begin our book discussion. He will be the keynote at Center Grove's iPossibilities conference. If you are interested in attending the conference, there may still be space available. Check the conference website for more information. If you are not able to travel to Center Grove, they will be streaming the keynote. The live link to John Spencer's keynote will be http://mediacast.centergrove.k12.in.us/tight_url.cfm/URLID/766 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Monday, June 11. For those unable to view the session live, Center Grove will be archiving the event. We will post that URL when it is available.